Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for June 2012

There’s a book for that: Memoirs of an English Governess at the Siamese Court

Watching the film version of The King and I is one of my best childhood memories. I don’t know if it was the first musical I ever watched, but it certainly added to my love for the genre. The song “Getting to Know You” runs through my head when I meet new people. Fortunately for them, I don’t sing it out loud.

Years later, when Jodie Foster took the lead role in the non-musical Anna and the King, I gained new appreciation for the story of the widowed British woman who takes on the role of teacher and governess to the children of the King of Siam.

The two movies share some similarities in theme, and while they are based on a true story, I was never sure how much was fact and how much was fiction.

As part of this series, I decided to read Anna Leonowens’ book Memories of an English Governess at the Siamese Court. I was pleased to discover that the king’s quirks, portrayed so brilliantly by Yul Brynner, were accurate. Who can forget his repetition of “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera” or his “Who? Who? Who?” when Anna first arrives on the scene. These are documented in the book.

In fact, Leonowens’ work is incredibly detailed so that if you’ve never traveled to the Orient, you feel as though you are there. As with most things I read, I want to read more about this area of the world. On the downside, I did get a little bogged down in the details about midway through the book and almost didn’t finish it because it wasn’t holding my attention.

What I didn’t find in her account was any trace of love story, which appears in both film versions. I like both movies as stories, independent of the truth, and I’m glad to have read the story straight from the source. It reminds me that historical fiction is both based in history and fictionalized for dramatic effect.

One more week to go in this series. If you missed my other posts, check out my thoughts on the book versions of Mary Poppins, The Princess Bride, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Next week: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Shining a light on persecution: Review of Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

First day of summer means summer reading is in full swing. The Tyndale Summer Reading Program is back this summer. If you like to read and want to earn free books for reading and reviewing this summer, check out the program and reading list.

The 10th anniversary release of Safely Home by Randy Alcorn is one of the fiction choices on the list. I hadn’t read this book before, and its theme of Christian persecution in China intrigued me.

In the book, an American businessman and a Chinese Christian who once were roommates at Harvard are reunited in China after 20 years. The businessman’s life and faith have disintegrated despite the appearance of success while the Chinese man’s faith has flourished despite poverty, oppression and dashed dreams.

I appreciated the message of this story, especially the accounts of what Christianity is like in China. Underground churches meeting in the middle of the night. Believers being arrested for possessing Bibles or teaching spiritual truths to minors. Christians loving Jesus more than their lives. Humbling, convicting, challenging stuff. The businessman’s idea of faith, success and government are overturned by his experiences in China with his roommate. It’s a moving story that reminds me that how I practice my faith is not the same way it is practiced around the world. And being an American is not the same as being a Christian. 

The method of the story was not always palatable. Sometimes the dialogue felt forced and the plot seemed to get stuck. I’ve not read Alcorn before so I don’t know if this is his usual style of storytelling or not. The book’s worth it for the light it shines on persecution of Christians worldwide.

FAVORITES: Alcorn’s accounts of the underground church and life in China are credible. He lists the books that aided his research, and I’m eager to learn more.

FAULTS: Some of the story is told from the point of view of heaven — from family members who had died, angels and Jesus. Frank Peretti employs this POV in books like This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. I think Peretti does it better. Maybe that’s not fair to Alcorn but I just didn’t feel like it worked in this story. Maybe I’ll re-read Peretti and see if I feel the same way.

IN A WORD: Informative. I’ll miss out on something great, though, if I leave it at knowledge only. I’m praying that this story moves me to action.